This nation's fish and wildlife resources are an important part of our natural heritage. They represent an irreplaceable natural legacy, provide numerous opportunities for recreational enjoyment, serve as indicators of environmental health, and in many ways support our livelihood. With pressures on our natural resources increasing each day, efforts to preserve them for future generations are all the more critical.
The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is to conserve, protect, and enhance fish and wildlife and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service's major responsibilities are for migratory birds, endangered species, certain marine mammals, and freshwater and anadromous fish.
The Service's origins date back to 1871, when Congress established the U.S. Fish Commission to study the decrease of the nation's food fishes and recommend ways to reverse the decline. The Fish Commission was placed under the Department of Commerce in 1903 and renamed the Bureau of Fisheries.
Meanwhile, in 1885, Congress created an Office of Economic Ornithology in the Department of Agriculture. The office studied the food habits and migratory patterns of birds, especially those that had an effect on agriculture. This office gradually grew in responsibilities and went through several name changes until finally renamed the Bureau of Biological Survey in 1905. In addition to studying the abundance, distribution, and habits of birds and mammals, the Survey's responsibilities included managing the nation's first wildlife refuges, controlling predators, enforcing wildlife laws, and conserving dwindling populations of herons, egrets, waterfowl, and other migratory birds.
The Bureaus of Fisheries and Biological Survey were transferred to the Department of the Interior in 1939. One year later, in 1940, they were combined and named the Fish and Wildlife Service. Further reorganization came in 1956 when the Fish and Wildlife Act created the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and established within the agency two separate bureaus -- Commercial Fisheries and Sport Fisheries and Wildlife.
The Bureau of Commercial Fisheries was transferred to the Department of Commerce in 1970 and is now known as the National Marine Fisheries Service. The Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife remained in Interior. In accordance with a 1974 Act of Congress, the "Bureau" name was dropped and the agency is now simply called the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
In 1993, the Service's research activities, which were conducted at 14 research stations and their satellite offices around the country, were transferred to a new Interior Department bureau called the National Biological Survey. The research conducted at these and other facilities continues to provide important information to the Service for making decisions on how best to conserve fish and wildlife.
Today, the Service employs approximately 7,500 people at facilities across the country including a headquarters office in Washington, D.C., seven regional offices, and nearly 700 field units and installations. Among these are national wildlife refuges and fish hatcheries, ecological field offices, and law enforcement offices.
The National Wildlife Refuge System is the world's largest and most diverse collection of lands set aside specifically for wildlife. The refuge system began in 1903 when President Theodore Roosevelt designated 3-acre Pelican Island, a pelican and heron rookery in Florida, as a bird sanctuary.
Today, 500 national wildlife refuges have been established from the Arctic Ocean to the South Pacific, from Maine to the Caribbean. Varying in size from half-acre parcels to thousands of square miles, they encompass more than 92 million acres of the nation's best wildlife habitats. The vast majority of these lands are in Alaska, with the rest spread across the rest of the United States and several U.S. territories.
Like Pelican Island, many early wildlife refuges were created for herons, egrets, and other water birds. Others were set aside for large mammals like elk and bison. But by far the most have been created to protect migratory waterfowl. This is a result of the United States' responsibilities under international treaties for migratory bird conservation as well as legislation such as the Migratory Bird Conservation Act of 1929. Refuges dot the map along the four major "flyways" that waterfowl follow from their northern nesting grounds to southern wintering areas.
National wildlife refuges also play a vital role in preserving endangered and threatened species. Among the refuges that are well known for providing endangered species habitat are Aransas in Texas, the winter home of the whooping crane; the Florida Panther refuge, which protects one of the nation's most endangered mammals; and the Hawaiian Islands refuge, home of the Laysan duck, Hawaiian monk seal, and many other unique species.
National wildlife refuges also provide secure habitat for native plants and many species of resident mammals, fish, insects, amphibians, and reptiles.
National wildlife refuges offer the public a wide variety of recreational and educational opportunities. Many refuges have fishing and hunting programs, visitor centers, wildlife trails, and environmental education programs. Nationwide, some 25 million visitors annually hunt, fish, observe, and photograph wildlife or participate in interpretive activities on refuges. More detailed information on national wildlife refuges can be obtained by writing any of the offices listed at the back of this brochure.
The Fish and Wildlife Service is reaching out to form new partnerships with farmers and ranchers, state and federal agencies, Native American Tribes, corporations, conservation groups, and citizen volunteers. Working together is the key to conserving our country's important remaining wildlife habitats -- many of which are privately owned -- and to maintaining our nation's rich abundance of fish and wildlife species as we move toward the 21st century.
The decline of fish and wildlife populations can be a warning signal that the environment may be in jeopardy. One of the major functions of the Fish and Wildlife Service is the identification and recovery of endangered species -- those that are in danger of extinction.
The Service leads the federal effort to protect and restore animals and plants that are in danger of extinction both in the United States and worldwide.
Using the best scientific evidence available, the Service identifies species that appear to be endangered or threatened (under the Endangered Species Act, "endangered" status means a species is considered in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range; "threatened" status applies to species considered in danger of becoming "endangered" in the foreseeable future). After review by scientists and opportunities for public comment, species that meet the criteria of the Endangered Species Act are placed on the Interior Department's official "List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants." More than 700 native species are currently on the list.
Service biologists work with scientists from other federal and state agencies, universities, and private organizations to develop "recovery plans" that identify actions needed to save listed species and restore their numbers. Recovery programs may include research, habitat preservation and management, captive breeding, law enforcement, reintroduction of depleted species into suitable areas of their historic range, and other activities.
Such efforts have already helped save some animals that only recently appeared headed for oblivion. The American alligator, once threatened primarily by exploitation for its valuable hide, is no longer considered endangered in many areas thanks to law enforcement and habitat conservation. The number of bald eagles has been steadily increasing following a ban on the pesticide DDT, strict protection, habitat conservation, and captive breeding and reintroduction efforts. The California gray whale was recently removed from the endangered and threatened species list, having recovered under protection of the Endangered Species Act. But many other species still face a long and difficult road to recovery.
The Service also consults with other federal agencies and renders "biological opinions" on the effects of proposed federal projects on endangered species. Service biologists recommend ways for development projects to avoid harm to endangered species. The vast majority of projects proceed with little or no modification.
The Service has put increased emphasis on two provisions of the Endangered Species Act in recent years -- Habitat Conservation Plans and Special 4(d) Rules. These provisions are designed to avoid or resolve conflicts between private development projects and the protection of an endangered species.
If a private development project is considered to have potentially harmful effects on an endangered species, a Habitat Conservation Plan can be developed to include long-term measures to protect the species while allowing the development to proceed.
The Act allows the Secretary of the Interior to waive some prohibitions concerning threatened species by making special rules. Special rules may allow some activities which may be potentially harmful to some individuals of a species if measures are taken to provide for the species' overall, long-term protection.
The Service is also working with other countries to preserve their native wildlife through the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The United States is one of more than 120 countries that now belong to this international treaty aimed at preventing overexploitation of rare wildlife from commercial trade.
Because many bird species fly thousands of miles in their annual migrations, they cannot be effectively conserved by any single state or nation, but only through cooperative efforts. The Fish and Wildlife Service is responsible for leading migratory bird conservation under several laws and international treaties with Canada, Mexico, Japan, and the former Soviet Union.
This includes the conservation of more than 800 species of migratory birds. The Service regulates hunting, studies populations, and acquires and manages many national wildlife refuges to provide secure habitat for migratory birds.
The Service cooperates with state wildlife agencies and the Canadian Wildlife Service to regulate migratory bird hunting. Before hunting regulations are established, an intensive effort is undertaken each year to monitor population levels of migratory waterfowl. Through air and ground surveys, and satellite imagery, the Service estimates population levels and trends and assesses habitat conditions. The Service also sends questionnaires to selected hunters asking for information on the number of waterfowl taken. Successful hunters are asked to send in wings from ducks and tail feathers from geese so that scientists can identify the species, age, and sex of the birds to gain information about the previous year's waterfowl production and harvest. These population, habitat, and harvest surveys help ensure that hunting limits set each year correspond with the need to maintain healthy populations for each species of migratory game bird.
The Service also obtains information and monitors populations of many songbirds and other nongame species. Presently the Service is increasing efforts to identify nongame bird species that may be declining and undertake efforts to restore them.
You can help conserve wildlife habitat by purchasing a "Duck Stamp," formally known as the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp. Money from the sale of Duck Stamps goes directly to acquire land for the National Wildlife Refuge System. Since 1934, more than $450 million raised from the sale of Duck Stamps has been used to acquire 4.2 million acres of wetlands for the refuge system. And despite the stamp's name, these refuges support not just ducks but a wide variety of fish and wildlife species.
Every waterfowl hunter age 16 or older is required to purchase a Duck Stamp annually and carry it while hunting waterfowl. Duck Stamps are also increasingly popular among collectors and with nonhunters who wish to help preserve wildlife habitat. Duck Stamps can also be used as entrance passes to national wildlife refuges that require visitor fees. Duck Stamps are sold at most U.S. Post Offices and many national wildlife refuges.
Duck numbers fell to record lows during the 1980s as a result of a severe drought that affected major prairie nesting areas of Canada and the north-central United States through much of the decade. The drought accelerated the conversion of prairie wetlands to agriculture so that many nesting areas have been permanently lost or so degraded that they no longer provide quality habitat for ducks or other wildlife.
To counter this loss of wetlands, the United States, Canada, and Mexico are working together in a historic effort -- the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. The Plan is a long-term program to preserve and restore habitat throughout the continent for waterfowl and other wildlife that share wetland habitats. The Plan is backed by a broad coalition of private conservation and industry groups and by state wildlife agencies. Many see the Plan as perhaps the last chance to conserve essential habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife before it is too late.
More than $500 million -- many from private sources -- has been invested in waterfowl and wetland conservation in North America under Plan activities since its inception in 1986. More than 2 million acres of waterfowl habitat have been protected, restored, or enhanced.
In 1991, about 110 million Americans age 16 or older enjoyed some form of wildlife-related recreation, contributing $59 billion to the nation's economy.
36 million people fished.
14 million people hunted.
76 million people observed, photographed, or fed fish and
wildlife.These data are from the National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, conducted by the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Bureau of the Census every 5 years.
Restoring nationally significant fisheries that have been depleted by overfishing, pollution, or other habitat damage is a major effort of the Fish and Wildlife Service. Currently, Service fishery specialists are devoting much of their efforts to helping four important species -- the lake trout in the upper Great Lakes; the striped bass of the Chesapeake Bay region and the Gulf Coast; the Atlantic salmon of New England; and the major salmonid species (chinook, coho, and steelhead) of the Pacific Northwest.
As part of this program, nearly 80 national fish hatcheries produce some 60 species of fish. The Service stocks more than 200 million fish annually.
The Service's fishery program also works to compensate for the loss of fishery resources caused by federal water projects, to improve fishery resources on Indian reservations and federal lands, and to maintain federal leadership in scientific fisheries management.
Through the Recreational Fisheries Stewardship Initiative, the Service is working to strengthen the partnership among state, federal, and tribal governments, the fishing industry, and private fishery conservation groups to conserve and enhance the nation's recreational fisheries.
The Fish and Wildlife Service provides expert biological advice to other federal agencies, states, industry, and members of the public concerning the conservation of fish and wildlife habitat that may be affected by development activities. Working through hundreds of field offices located throughout the country, Service personnel assess the potential effects of projects that require federal funding or permits, such as dredge and fill activities, dams and reservoirs, oil leasing, energy projects, and federal highways. Service biologists recommend ways to avoid, minimize, or compensate for harmful impacts on fish and wildlife resources.
Under the conservation provisions of certain farm legislation, Service personnel are working directly with farmers and Agriculture Department agencies to conserve and restore wetlands on private lands.
In addition, through the Partners for Wildlife Program begun in 1987, the Service provides technical and financial assistance to private landowners who want to restore valuable wildlife habitat on their property, primarily wetlands, riparian areas, and native prairie. To date, nearly 11,000 landowners have participated in Partners for Wildlife, restoring approximately 210,000 acres of habitat.
Service personnel also assess the effects of contaminants on fish and wildlife. Field biologists assist other federal agencies in evaluating contaminant impacts to fish and wildlife resources in connection with the cleanup of abandoned, inactive, or hazardous waste sites; identify and correct contaminant situations affecting national wildlife refuges; and respond to spills of oil and hazardous substances to help minimize harm to fish and wildlife resources.
Marshes, swamps, potholes, and other wetlands provide homes for countless species of fish, wildlife, and plants. They are also important to people because they help control floods, recharge groundwater, and cleanse pollutants from our groundwater supply. An important Fish and Wildlife Service activity is to inventory and map the nation's wetlands and analyze trends in wetland changes. These surveys have found that more than half of the 215 million acres of wetlands that once existed in the United States have disappeared, replaced by farms, factories, roads, and cities. About 290,000 acres of wetlands continue to be lost each year.
The Fish and Wildlife Service has a variety of international responsibilities under some 40 treaties, statutes, and agreements.
The Service also cooperates with other countries on wildlife research and management programs, and responds to requests from foreign countries for technical assistance.
The overall goal of the Service's international conservation programs is to help cooperating countries develop their conservation capabilities in order to meet their own environmental goals and needs on a sustainable basis. As part of this effort, the Service develops graduate education programs for fish and wildlife managers in Latin America; supports environmental education work in the Near East, Asia, Africa, and Latin America; seeks to stem the global loss of wetlands and establish guidelines for wise use of wetlands through an international wetlands convention; and oversees the use of special foreign currency funds for wildlife conservation and training efforts in Egypt and India.
Two laws administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service -- the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act and the Federal Aid in Sport Fisheries Restoration Act -- have created some of the most successful programs in the history of fish and wildlife conservation.
Popularly known as "Pittman-Robertson" (wildlife) and "Dingell-Johnson" (fish) after their Congressional sponsors, these programs provide federal grant money to support specific projects carried out by state fish and wildlife agencies. First allocated to states in 1939 and 1952 respectively, the money comes from federal excise taxes on sporting arms and ammunition, archery equipment, and sport fishing tackle. In 1984, the basic Sport Fish Restoration legislation was supplemented by new provisions known as the "Wallop-Breaux" amendments. These provisions increased revenue for sport fish restoration by extending the excise tax to previously untaxed items of sporting equipment and by channeling into fish restoration a portion of the existing federal tax on motorboat fuels and import duties on fishing tackle and pleasure boats.
States and U.S. territories use the funds where they are needed most -- to acquire land for wildlife habitat and for fishing and other recreation; conduct research; provide access to hunting, fishing, and boating areas; manage and maintain fish and wildlife habitats; and carry out hunter safety training and aquatic education. The funds are distributed according to a formula that takes into account the number of hunting and fishing license holders and the area of the state or territory (including, for fish restoration, coastal and Great Lakes waters).
Through the taxes paid on hunting and fishing programs, American sportsmen and -women have provided more than $2 billion for these conservation programs since they first began. The Pittman-Robertson program has succeeded in restoring many species that were in danger of vanishing in the early 1900s, such as the white-tailed deer, black bear, and wild turkey. The Dingell- Johnson program has provided millions of Americans with angling opportunities by enhancing populations of such species as rainbow trout, channel catfish, and largemouth bass.
The Fish and Wildlife Service enforces federal wildlife laws that protect endangered species, migratory birds, certain marine mammals, and fisheries. The Service also carries out U.S. enforcement obligations under international agreements.
Federal permits are required for importation, exportation, and certain other activities involving wildlife and plants covered by these laws and treaties. The Service reviews permit applications and, when appropriate, issues necessary permits and documents. The wildlife permit system is an important means of deterring illegal trafficking in wildlife.
The Service employs a nationwide network of about 200 special agents and inspectors who help enforce wildlife laws and treaty obligations. Special agents investigate cases ranging from individual migratory bird hunting violations to large-scale poaching and commercial trade in protected wildlife.
Wildlife inspectors stationed at major ports of entry check the legality of documents and permits and inspect shipments of live animals and wildlife products to ensure that protected species are not imported or exported illegally.
Many wildlife products sold abroad are not legal to import into the United States. For example, elephant ivory, furs from many spotted cats, and products made from endangered sea turtles, such as shell jewelry, leather boots, and skin oils, are prohibited. Because international regulations governing wildlife trade are complex, the Service advises people who want to purchase wildlife products to check regulations carefully before traveling abroad. A good motto for those who want to purchase souvenirs made from wildlife is: "Know before you go and if in doubt, do without." By observing this simple rule, you can help save the world's endangered wildlife.
Most professional career opportunities within the Fish and Wildlife Service are for people trained in fish or wildlife biology and related specialties. Most positions are filled through competitive appointments, to such positions as fishery biologist, wildlife biologist, refuge manager, special agent, and various administrative, technical, clerical, and laborer positions.
Special summer jobs are available for youths at national wildlife refuges and other field stations through the Youth Conservation Corps, jointly administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and U.S. Forest Service. Opportunities also are available for volunteers to help on national wildlife refuges and other locations.
Information on employment or volunteer opportunities with the Service can be obtained by contacting the Service's Division of Personnel Management at 703-358-2120. Appointments are made without regard to race, color, age, religion, politics, national origin, gender, or any other nonmerit factor. For other information, contact:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters
Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, NW.
Washington, DC 20240
(202) 208-5634
or the appropriate Regional Office:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Pacific Northwest Region (CA, HI, ID, NV, OR, WA,
Pacific Islands)
911 NE. 11th Avenue
Portland, OR 97232-4181
(503) 231-6121
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Southwest Region (AZ, NM, OK, TX)
500 Gold Avenue, SW., P.O. Box 1306
Albuquerque, NM 87103
(505) 766-3940
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region (IA, IL, IN, MI, MN, MO,
OH, WI)
Federal Building, Fort Snelling
Twin Cities, MN 55111-4056
(612) 725-3519
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Southeast Region (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA,
MS, NC, PR, SC, TN, VI)
1875 Century Center Boulevard, NE.
Atlanta, GA 30345
(404) 679-7289
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Northeast Region (CT, DC, DE, MA, MD, ME,
NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VA,
VT, WV)
300 Westgate Center Drive
Hadley, MA 01035-9589
(413) 253-8320
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Mountain-Prairie Region (CO, KS, MT, ND, NE, SD,
UT, WY)
P.O. Box 25486
Denver Federal Center
Denver, CO 80225
(303) 236-7904
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Alaska Region (AK)
1011 East Tudor Road
Anchorage, AK 99503
(907) 786-3487
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation is a private, nonprofit organization established by Congress to help the Fish and Wildlife Service carry out its conservation mission. Contributions to the Foundation are tax deductible and are eligible to be matched by federal funds. For information, write National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, 1120 Connecticut Avenue, NW., Suite 900, Washington, DC 20036.